Sale of stolen guitar on eBay spurs arrests in N.J.

Roselle Park police have unraveled at least part of the mystery behind a string of guitar thefts that has plagued central Jersey in recent months, after discovering one of the stolen instruments for sale on eBay.

The advertised guitar was one of three taken last week when five masked bandits entered an unlocked Roselle Park apartment, beat up two of the residents, and made a beeline for the instruments, worth about $7,000, police said.

Investigators said today they have identified several of the burglars involved in the incident, all male juveniles from New Jersey, but would not specify how many, according to Roselle Park police Sgt. Manuel Jimenez.

The three guitars were among nearly a dozen stolen since November during six separate burglaries in Roselle Park, Summit and Montclair. In all, the stealing spree netted more than $11,000 worth of guitars with brand names like Fender, Gretsch, Ibanez, Martin, Schecter and Squire.

Authorities have not determined whether the guitar thefts are connected, or whether the Roselle Park suspects were involved in the other burglaries, but noted it was unusual to see such a high incidence in such a short period of time.

"It's just very strange," Jimenez said.

The three guitars taken in the Roselle Park burglary -- a Schecter Diamond series, a Gretsch Tennessee Rose and a Gretsch Black Falcon -- were recovered Monday after a relative of one of the victims spotted a photo of one of the stolen guitars on the online auction site eBay, police said.

With bids already reaching well over $1,000, he contacted the seller to express interest in seeing the instrument, said the relative, who, fearing retribution, asked not to be identified. The seller agreed to a meeting and described two other guitars that were also available for viewing. The descriptions matched the other two stolen guitars, the relative said.

On Monday, Roselle Park officers visited the seller, a legitimate Lakewood business that specializes in buying and selling items on eBay, and recovered the instruments, Jimenez said. Detectives concluded they had unknowingly purchased the stolen loot from the suspects several days earlier. After reviewing surveillance videos, police were able to identify the suspects, he said.

"Technology is actually what helped solve the case," Jimenez said. "Between the internet and surveillance video, that helped us solve the case."

Meanwhile, Montclair authorities are still investigating four incidents during which burglars pilfered three Fender electric guitars, valued between $200 and $600, along with a 1961 Martin electric and two Ibanez bass electrics, worth $2,600. In Summit, police are searching for the thieves who broke into a house while its residents were sleeping and made off with a Fender Musicmaster bass, a Squire Telecaster and a Fender amplifier -- valued at a total of $850.

The three police departments have been in contact to investigate whether the incidents are linked, Jimenez said, but "so far, the only common thread is guitars."